DEFENSE, AFP MUM ON SHOAL DISPUTE /
DFA PURSUES DIPLOMATIC CONSULTS
MANILA, MAY 11, 2012
(PHILSTAR) By Jaime Laude - Defense and
military establishments are now distancing from the prevailing security
development in Panatag Shoal, a Philippine territory only 124 nautical miles
from Zambales but is also being claimed by China.
"The monitoring is longer within our level," a military official assigned
with the Armed Forces of the Philippines' Northern Luzon Coommand (Nolcom) told
The STAR, referring to the ongoing stand-off in Panatag Shoal.
The Nolcom under the command of Lt. Gen. Anthony Alcantara has operational
jurisdiction over Panatag Shoal or the Baja de Masinloc, called by China as
Huangyan Island.
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin for his part, said the Department of
Foreign Affairs (DFA) is now dealing with all underlying matters resulting from
the month-long territorial stand off.
"Huwag natin palakihin pa," Gazmin said in an interview, referring to the
series of pronouncements coming from Beijing, including a claim made by a
Chinese television commentator that the Philippines is a province of China.
Chinese officials have also declared readiness to deal with the Philippines
in an event the Panatag standoff escalates.
The standoff started a month ago after two Chinese Maritime Surveillance
Vessels (CMS) prevented the Philippine Navy (PN) flagship BRP Gregorio del Pilar
from arresting Chinese fishermen while conducting destructive fishing operation
inside the lagoon of Panatag Shoal.
To date, the stand off continues with Beijing deploying one of its modern
ships, the FLEC-310 (Fisheries and Law Enforcement Command) in the area in
support of its other MCS ships now pre-positioned in the mouth of the lagoon.
Local fishermen in Masinloc, meanwhile, have been complaining that they are
being barred entry into the lagoon of Panatag Shoal by the Chinese vessels.
Masinloc Mayor Desiree Edora on Tuesday said that Chinese vessels prevented
local fishermen from fishing inside the lagoon of Bajo de Masinloc.
Edora's municipal secretary Rjay Bautista said that these recent incidents in
Bajo de Masinloc have been recorded by the Navy and by the Nolcom troops who
interviewed the fishermen following their return from Panatag Shoal last Sunday.
Gazmin, however, citing a report by the Philippine Coast Guard, denied that
Filipino fishermen are being prevented from entering the lagoon.
DFA to pursue diplomatic consultations By Pia
Lee-Brago (The Philippine Star) Updated May 11, 2012 12:00 AMComments (0)
[PHOTO -A man prepares to burn Philippine and US flags during a
protest outside the Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong yesterday. AP]
MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines is willing to match Beijing's
announcement of preparations for an escalation of tensions in Panatag
(Scarborough) Shoal with "diplomatic consultations," unless the message is meant
to intimidate, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said yesterday.
He was reacting to a declaration by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying
that Beijing is prepared for "any escalation" in the West Philippine Sea,
particularly in the Panatag Shoal where Chinese and Philippine vessels have been
in a standoff since April 10.
Panatag Shoal, originally called Bajo de Masinloc, is only 124 nautical miles
from Zambales and is well within the country's 200-mile exclusive economic zone.
It has been part of the Philippines in maps dating from 1743.
"If the Vice Minister's message is intended to be constructive, we are
clearly looking for ways to defuse the situation, essentially through diplomatic
consultations. We are endeavoring to continue these consultations," Del Rosario
told The STAR.
"If, however, the intention is to intimidate, then our position is it does
not merit a response."
Fu summoned on Monday Alex Chua, charge d'affaires of the Philippine embassy
in Beijing, to express her country's concern over the Panatag standoff.
Fu told Chua that "it is hard for us to be optimistic about the situation."
Del Rosario also said it's "not true" that 30 Chinese vessels were now
operating in the shoal and that they were driving away Filipino fishermen.
As of Wednesday, Del Rosario said nine Chinese and four Filipino fishing
vessels were in the lagoon in the shoal.
The Philippines is appealing for international support – particularly from
the United States – for its position in the West Philippine Sea.
It has also called on fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) to take a common stand against China's bullying in the region.
Del Rosario said in a statement issued on Wednesday that the US considers the
West Philippine Sea a vital sealane and that an armed attack in the area on
either the US or the Philippines "would be dangerous to its own peace and
safety."
He said the US has declared "that it would act to meet the common dangers in
accordance with its constitutional processes."
Under the Philippines-US Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) signed on Aug. 30, 1951
in Washington, the US declared its commitment to support the Philippines from
attacks.
"The US declares their sense of unity and common determination to defend
themselves against external armed attack, so that no potential aggressor could
be under the illusion that either of them stands alone in the Pacific Area," Del
Rosario cited the MDT's preamble, adding that Article IV states: "Each party
recognizes that an armed attack in the Pacific area on either of the Parties
would be dangerous to its own peace and safety and declares that it would act to
meet the common dangers in accordance with its constitutional processes."
Rally behind P-Noy
Sen. Manny Villar Jr., meanwhile, urged the public to rally behind President
Aquino in his quest for a peaceful resolution of the Panatag standoff.
"The Panatag Shoal is ours. We should not abandon it. We are not fighting
with anyone here, we should actually support our President in this issue,"
Villar said.
"For me, it is better if we keep quiet about the issue as of now," he added.
"This should not be misconstrued as cowardice but we should allow the tension to
die down because this can be done through diplomacy."
He also said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) should be given more
funds to modernize but such modernization should not be misconstrued as a
reaction to the standoff.
"We should strengthen the Armed Forces not because of this issue on Panatag
Shoal... This should not be for anything else, since it is but normal that every
country should strengthen its armed forces," Villar explained.
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, for his part, said he fully supports the
government's position to bring the issue before an international tribunal,
citing the country's lack of capability to confront China militarily.
"We don't have capability to confront China," the senator said in a weekly
media forum at the Senate.
"We advise the President to leave it up to the court," Trillanes, a former
naval officer, said.
Trillanes said it is enough that the Philippine government has called the
attention of the International Tribunal on the Law of the Seas (ITLOS) regarding
the matter.
Trillanes said there had been skirmishes between Philippine troops and some
Chinese vessels in the disputed waters in the West Philippine Sea. "We have
experienced much more serious confrontations in the past," Trillanes said.
Senate committee on foreign relations chairperson Loren Legarda also called
for a diplomatic way to end the standoff at Panatag Shoal.
"I am certain that both countries will solve this issue in a peaceful manner.
There is a Code of Conduct that has been agreed upon by both nations and we must
observe that. There's no reason for us to fight each other. Let us focus on the
issues that build, instead of the concerns that destroy. There is so much
commonality than the issues that we differ in," Legarda said.
"We must concentrate on areas that unite us, instead of issues that divide
us. Commerce, trade, investments, culture, education, combating climate
change-these are concerns that China and the Philippines, and all of us in the
Asia Pacific, should focus on," she added.
She cited the recent Senate ratification of the Mutual Legal Assistance
Treaty and the Consular Agreement between the Philippines and China.
"I will do my best to make sure that this will not affect our robust
bilateral relationship with a country whose culture and history means a lot to
the Filipinos. We are committed to a peaceful dialogue utilizing every legal,
diplomatic means to resolve the dispute," Legarda said.
Dialogue pushed
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said dialogue is still the best approach to
easing tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
"I think we should continue our dialoguing with the Chinese, which is what we
are doing through the embassy here," Belmonte told reporters. "I don't think it
is to anybody's advantage to be to be rattling the sword at anybody."
He noted that a delegation of female members of Congress that recently met
with Chinese leaders in Beijing had been assured of China's commitment to
keeping its friendship with the Philippines.
Ang Kasangga party-list Rep. Teodorico Haresco, for his part, urged the
Aquino administration to start high-level bilateral talks with China to resolve
the dispute.
"Are we prepared to cut trade and diplomatic ties with China? If China would
simply decide to send home all of our overseas Filipino workers including those
in Macau and Hong Kong, we would be surely devastated. All these things should
be considered before we try anything that can provoke China," Haresco said.
He said the Philippines should not let itself appear pitiful and desperate
before the international community by running to the US for protection.
"Playing AmBoy (American boy) does not only look bad for the country but it
is also aggravating its diplomatic animosity with China," he said.
"We have to rally behind President Aquino and urge foreign affairs towards
establishing a joint Phl-China Study Commission with the primary objective of
strengthening our bilateral ties," Haresco said.
He cited the strategy used by Vietnam, which entered into a bilateral
non-aggression and joint exploration pact with China while maintaining a mutual
defense treaty with the US.
"The US will always be an ally to us but we should show some restraint in
playing AmBoy, especially because China has become a key trade partner,
accounting for at least 16 percent of our gross domestic product," he said.
He said the Philippines "might be playing with fire with its continuing
effort to drag the US into the conflict."
"The dogma of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has been and always (will)
be to do everything it can to protect China and her territories, even if it
means they have to strike first. The PLA is unique amongst the military of other
great superpowers as it does not report to the state but directly to the Central
Military Commission of the Communist Party, which is composed of generals who
obviously have militaristic inclinations and have very little diplomatic
skills," he said. "That makes the Chinese response on the Spratlys conflict very
unpredictable." With Christina Mendez, Marvin Sy, Paolo
Romero
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
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PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS
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